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Japanese phrasebook: 14 phrases and numbers
Japanese is the main language of Japan. It is written with three scripts at once: kanji from Chinese, and the hiragana and katakana syllable alphabets.
- In its own name: 日本語
- Writing system: Japanese (kanji and kana)
- Family: Japonic
- Official language in: Japan
Essential Japanese phrases
| English | Japanese | Romanisation |
|---|---|---|
| Hello | こんにちは | konnichiwa |
| Goodbye | さようなら | sayōnara |
| Good morning | おはようございます | ohayō gozaimasu |
| Good night | おやすみなさい | oyasumi nasai |
| Thank you | ありがとうございます | arigatō gozaimasu |
| You're welcome | どういたしまして | dō itashimashite |
| Please | お願いします | o negai shimasu |
| Sorry | ごめんなさい | gomen nasai |
| Yes | はい | hai |
| No | いいえ | iie |
| My name is ___ | 私の名前は___です | watashi no namae wa ___ desu |
| What is your name? | お名前は何ですか？ | o namae wa nan desu ka? |
| How are you? | お元気ですか？ | o genki desu ka? |
| I love you | 愛してる | aishiteru |
Phrases are cross-checked against independent sources but still await a native-speaker review.
Numbers 1 to 10 in Japanese
| # | Word | Romanisation |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 一 | ichi |
| 2 | 二 | ni |
| 3 | 三 | san |
| 4 | 四 | yon |
| 5 | 五 | go |
| 6 | 六 | roku |
| 7 | 七 | nana |
| 8 | 八 | hachi |
| 9 | 九 | kyū |
| 10 | 十 | jū |
Pronunciation
Japanese has five clean vowels and a steady rhythm, with every beat given equal length. Long vowels and double consonants change the meaning of a word.
Good to know
Politeness levels are built into the grammar. Adding -masu or desu makes a sentence polite, and bowing accompanies many greetings.
Introducing yourself? See My name is ... in Japanese for formal and casual versions.
Mini quiz
A quick check of what you just read.
Play with Japanese
Meet Japanese in Mystery Phrase, Listen and Guess and Memory Match.
Questions
How do you say hello in Japanese?
こんにちは (konnichiwa).
What writing system does Japanese use?
Japanese is written in Japanese (kanji and kana).